Prep Football Preview: Local teams hit the road in Week 2

Aberdeen at Steliacoom; Montesano at Ridgefield; Elma at Stevenson; Hoquiam at King’s Way Christian

Week 2 of the prep football season means most Twin Harbor teams will hit the road as we review this week’s upcoming games.

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Aberdeen at Steliacoom

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Steliacoom High School

Players to watch: Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Mason Hill QB/S, Legend Vessey RB/LB; Adonis Hammonds WR/DB. Steliacoom – Drew Macdonald QB; Shon Nelson RB/LB; Noah Maxwell WR/FS; Josiah Morley WR/DB.

Aberdeen will have its hands full with a talented and experienced Steliacoom team when the Bobcats travel to face the Pierce County foe on Friday.

The Sentinels (1-0) looked sharp in dispatching of Bremerton 19-7 last week, led by a defense that allowed just 166 yards of offense.

Steliacoom sports 17 seniors on its roster, led by quarterback Drew Macdonald and receiver Josiah Morley, who connected four times for 106 yards and a touchdown last week.

Sophomore linebacker Noah Maxwell led the Sentinels with 13 tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown in Week 1.

Aberdeen left points on the field in Friday’s loss to Olympic, including having a long touchdown run by speedster Micah Schroeder called back due to a penalty and failing to gain points on two trips deep into the red zone.

Mason Hill passed for 166 yards in his debut as the Bobcats quarterback, including a 53-yard strike to senior receiver Adonis Hammonds for a score.

But Aberdeen struggled to gain any traction on the ground, rushing for a total of six yards against Olympic.

That will have to change for the Bobcats to have success against a good defensive team in Steliacoom.

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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Elma quarterback Isaac McGaffey

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Elma quarterback Isaac McGaffey

Elma at Stevenson

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stevenson High School

Players to watch: Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Ethan Camus WR/DB, Traden Carter RB/LB; Bo Muller RB/LB. Stevenson – Jude Travinski QB/FS; Derek White WR/FS; Skylar Polzel RB/LB; Logan Polzel TE/LB.

The Elma Eagles will likely face a tougher test this week when they take on the Stevenson Bulldogs on Friday at Stevenson High School.

Elma’s speed was too much for Centralia to handle in a Week 1 win, the Eagles hope for much of the same when they visit Stevenson on Friday.

Elma had several positives in its 34-20 win over the Tigers, including high marks for a balanced offense that racked up 280 yards.

Junior quarterback Isaac McGaffey passed for 137 yards and three touchdowns, with senior Ethan Camus on the receiving end for all three scores.

Elma’s Bo Muller rushed 14 times for 83 yards while receiver Dayton Brookins caught six passes and had 78 yards from scrimmage as the Eagles made use of their offensive weapons.

One area of concern for Elma was penalties, which head coach Larry Raynes said he would address in practice this week after the Eagles committed 14 infractions for 109 yards.

Stevenson blasted Rainier (Oregon) 48-16 on Friday, paced by three touchdown passes from quarterback Jude Travinski to receiver Derek White and a defense that forced six turnovers, including a fumbled kickoff return for a touchdown by Logan Polzel.

Brother Skylar Polzel intercepted a pass on defense and ran for a 3-yard touchdown in the season-opening route for the Bulldogs.

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Montesano at Ridgefield

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Ridgefield High School

Players to watch: Montesano – Tyson Perry QB/LB, Gabe Pyhala RB/LB, Mason Rasmussen WR/LB, Terek Gunter RB/DB. Ridgefield – Landon DeBeaumont QB/DB; Cly Stephens RB/LB; Noah Stromberg WR/DB.

Montesano didn’t play what head coach Terry Jensen said was “Monte football” in a 35-7 loss to La Center last week.

The Bulldogs will have to if they hope to win at 2A class Ridgefield on Friday.

The Spudders (1-0) were sluggish out of the gate on offense last week, but two touchdowns on fumble recoveries by linebacker Jake Olsen got things going, and Ridgefield never looked back.

Spudders quarterback Landon DeBeaumont passed for 243 yards and three scores while running back Cly Stephens ran for 96 yards as Ridgefield rolled to a 48-7 win over Prairie in Week 1.

Not much went right for Montesano in last week’s loss except for the play of junior running back Terek Gunter, who ran for 125 yards on seven carries.

Monte will have to get everyone on the same page in order to get a win against a consistent 2A state-playoff team.

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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam quarterback Joey Bozich (1) and offensive lineman Jerry Jeremiah.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam quarterback Joey Bozich (1) and offensive lineman Jerry Jeremiah.

Hoquiam at King’s Way Christian

When and where: 6 p.m. Friday at King’s Way Christian High School

Players to watch: Hoquiam – Joey Bozich QB/LB, A.J. Young LT/DL, Kingston Case RB/FS; Winston Kaikaka RB/LB. KWC – Owen Paulsen QB; Ryan Charlton RB/LB.

The Hoquiam versus King’s Way Christian matchup on Friday in Vancouver should answer some questions for both teams.

Primarily based on the first week’s results: Is King’s Way that good? Is Hoquiam that bad?

Though Hoquiam created turnovers and found success behind the 112-yard rushing performance of running back Kingston Case, the Grizzlies were on the wrong side of a 16-13 loss to Columbia (White Salmon) as the ability to finish drives was an issue.

Flip over the coin and you have King’s Way Christian, which pulled off a 14-6 upset over Rochester with a defensive stand inside the 5-yard line late in the game. This despite being outgained by the Warriors 218-136, allowing 210 rushing yards in the process.

This is a winnable game for the Grizzlies if they can consistently sustain drives and provide more room and protection for Case and quarterback Joey Bozich.

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Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Onalaska

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Onalaska High School

Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB/S, Cody Strozyk RB/MLB, Connor “Cheese” Keeton OL/DL; Lucas Lusk RB/LB. Onalaska – Lane Gordon QB/DB; Blaze Underhill QB/RB/LB; Rodrigo Rodriguez RB/DB.

Fresh off a convincing season-opening win, the Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Titans lock up with the Onalaska Loggers in a potential state-playoff preview on Friday in Onalaska.

The Titans (1-0) cruised to a 40-8 win over Winlock in Week 1, rushing for 380 yards in the process and led by backs Cody Strozyk and Lucas Lusk, who scored two touchdowns apiece in the game.

Onalaska is coming off a humbling 42-16 loss to 1A power Nooksack Valley last week, having never really been in the game after fumbling the first snap from scrimmage and seeing the Pioneers score just a few plays later.

The Loggers turned the ball over four times in the first half alone and will look to protect the ball by getting it to standouts Blaze Underhill and Rodrigo Rodriguez against the Titans.

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Rainier at Raymond-South Bend

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Raymond High School

Players to watch: Rainier – Jacob Meldrum QB; Jayden Alegarbes RB; Dorien Cano RB. RSB – Chris Quintana QB/DB, Chris Banker RB/LB, Isaac Schlueter RB/LB.

Raymond-South Bend will look to go 2-0 when they host Rainier on Friday at Raymond High School.

The Ravens (1-0) jumped out to a big lead then held on for a 27-22 win over Mossyrock last week and will hope for further progression from its offense this week.

Senior Chris Quintana looked good under center after making the switch from receiver during the offseason, rushing for a game-high 134 yards and three scores in the win.

Running back Chris Banker added 85 yards in the Ravens’ win as RSB ran for 234 yards as a team.

Rainier (0-1) had no such luck last week, suffering a 43-7 loss to Tenino in a game marred by poor sportmanship and three ejections.

The Mountaineers fell behind 23-7 after one quarter and trailed 36-7 at halftime as Tenino ran up and down the field in the rout.

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Other games

North Beach at Oakville – The Hyaks (1-0) will look to win two games for just the second time in the past seven seasons when they take on the Acorns at 7 p.m. Friday in Oakville.

Sound Christian Academy at Ocosta – The Wildcats (1-0) look to remain unbeaten when they host Sound Christian at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Mary M. Knight at Wishkah Valley – The Loggers open the season against the Owls in a 6-man game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Wishkah Valley High School.